The choice of food by society is linked to economic and cultural status, said the specialist of the Institute of Social Research (IIS) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Gilberto Giménez.
During the lecture "Inculcation habits and induction of addictions: a powerful amalgam in the industrial food marketing strategy", the specialist commented that the taste of human beings is not innate and on the contrary, it is acquired over the years according to the context of each person.
He stressed that human beings do not always choose freely, especially when they lack economic resources. It is conditioned to choose foods less expensive, but more harmful to health.
As the social hierarchy rises, food consumption decreases, the proportion of fat and heavy foods that make you fat and which are also cheaper decreases, and the proportion of fat-free, light and easy-to-digest foods increases, "he explained.
Among the harmful foods are the ultra-industrialized fatty products induced by the strategic combination between food marketing and advertising, which generate the induction of addictions.
This massively imposes diets based on industrially processed foods, which cause endemic diseases and generate very serious public health problems. "
We were not born eating fast food, our primary tastes in the world of childhood and motherhood has not been that, "said the social scientist.
He regretted that since the eighties, Mexico imitates the food of countries like the United States. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the neighbor of the north is the nation that consumes the most industrialized products, and in second place is Mexico.
From the academy and the research centers what we would like is to totally or partially transform the rules of the game of the production field. Explore the possibility of making a symbolic revolution from within this field based only on science. "
Gilberto Giménez explained that food marketing plus the induction of addictions have become a powerful and deadly weapon. It implies the combination of symbolic, biological and physiological violence, "and this implies that in Mexico, diabetes takes the lives of 80,000 people a year."
In his conference held in the main auditorium of the UNAM ISS, he stressed that the strategy is not to confront transnational corporations producing ultra-processed foods, but "to turn them into allies to try to reduce the supply and demand (of products) ), "He concluded.
This is sooooo wrong!
China has been poor for many years - the entire country. Even after 30 years of economic growth in special economic zones, in large cities, it still leaves a lot of poor people in the country side.
Poor people in China are not under such industrialization of food supply nor are brainwashed into eating manufactured "food" that are unhealthy or even harmful.
Hello @freedomshift , you have a good argument, but with this post I am referring to great commercial powers such as the one that reflects u.s.a or most of Latin America where junk food or fast food are the order of the day. Thanks for your comment!
I understand what you are doing in the body of the text sir. However, the title is wrong!
People, rich or poor, must take responsibility to eat healthy.
I have the money to eat more as well as make unhealthy choice by being lazy such as buying and eating processed food and not pay attention to the healthy and less convenient and not promoted foods.
However, I was able to eat healthy on less than $200 per month. It meant no sugary drinks, no bottled water, no alcohol , no cigarettes (I never smoke), no sugar, no salt, no butter, no refined white rice, no "wonder bread".
I buy fresh or frozen and uncooked vegetables, fresh and uncooked fish, I buy ground coffee, I buy fresh fruit, eggs, sweet potato / yams. I also eat more in the morning and typically do not eat anything other than fruit at night.
I lost weight, have lots of energy, and eat healthy.
Except for ground coffee and an occasional canned chicken noodle soup or canned baked beans, I do not buy or eat out of cans or boxes.
No snack foods such as potato chips either. The only other food that comes in a jar or a can are nuts, unsalted or sea salt.
So, I have lived on less than $7 / day and cooked all my food and still ate healthy with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and nuts and eggs.
To start eating healthy - turn off that television and deprogram yourself!
TV dinners are bad for you!
McDonald's are bad for you!
Coca Cola's, Pepsi's, candy, hot dogs ... they are all bad for you!